Preview: A-League grand final

Sunday's A-League grand final sees the coming together of Australia's fairytale team against a side desperate to crack a grand final losing streak.

The Western Sydney Wanderers take on the Central Coast Mariners at the Sydney Football Stadium in a decider between the two best sides in domestic football, having negotiated the perils of knock-out semi-finals.

Fears of either third-placed Melbourne Victory or fifth-placed Brisbane Roar usurping either finalist to a place in the A-League's showpiece proved unfounded, despite the league's new sudden death finals format.

Both the Wanderers and the Mariners are easily Australia's best club sides in the final on merit, but both have enjoyed different seasons and come into the decider with entirely different histories.

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The Mariners' form became patchy since losing their high-profile regular season clash with the Wanderers in March, before recovering with a strong finish.

The Wanderers in contrast have won 12 of their last 13 matches.

Both sides pride themselves on resolute defence, a combative midfield and sharp counter-attacks, so the A-League decider could be a tense, tight affair that goes to extra time.

But questions remain over how much the Wanderers will miss suspended playmaker Youssouf Hersi as an injury cloud hovers over the club, while the Mariners enjoy a comparatively clean bill of health.

By now the Wanderers' run to the grand final in their debut season is already etched into Australian sporting folklore, but their feats are begging to be capped by a podium trophy presentation.

On the other hand, the Mariners seem perennially allergic to 'fairytale teams', having succumbed to the Brisbane Roar's miracle comeback in 2011, and lost their last league match against Western Sydney in the minor premiership showdown.

Central Coast will look to make it fourth time lucky after enduring three grand final defeats in 2006, 2008 and 2011, while the Wanderers seek a maiden grand final win in their inaugural A-League season.

Fairytale ending?

It is the last 90 or 120 minutes of the season and I am sure I can play with a little pain.

Wanderers' forward Mark Bridge

To call the Wanderers' rise 'meteoric' would be a disservice to the A-League new boys' accomplishments this season.

The expansion club has defied even the most fanciful expectations to win the Premier's Plate and earn a place in the grand final, and has done so while being willed on by a remarkable contingent of supporters.

The Wanderers: stat attack

Season finish: first (57 points)

Leading goalscorer: Mark Bridge (11 goals)

Leading assists: Youssouf Hersi (8 assists)

Historic best finish: debut season

Last 10 games: WWDWWWWWWW

Best win: 6-1 against Adelaide United, 21 Dec 2012

Worst loss: 2-0 against Central Coast Mariners, Jan 6 2013

The manner in which the locals have taken to the new team has been as astonishing as the club's run of results and has shone a new light on crowd involvement not just for other football clubs, but other codes as well.

Nevertheless, while the Wanderers did brilliantly to top the A-League ladder and make the grand final in their debut season, the neutral's favourite will face the toughest of tasks against Central Coast.

Their own worst enemies may very well be themselves as injuries and Hersi's suspension could prove costly to the Wanderers' grand final ambitions.

Hersi picked up a foolish red-card in the semi-final against Brisbane Roar, while doubts hover over Aaron Mooy, Jerome Polenz and leading goal-scorer Mark Bridge.

The club insists most if not all their injury concerns should be fit for the final, with Bridge adamant a few injections should see him start on Sunday.

"When the game finished and I took my boot and sock off, my ankle was three times the size of the other one," Bridge told the Penrith Press.

"I had the cortisone injection to get the swelling down. It's tough because you can't do anything on it for a few days.

"I'll do everything I possibly can to get on the pitch. It is the last 90 or 120 minutes of the season and I am sure I can play with a little pain."

The Wanderers' biggest problems come with Hersi's absence. While Japanese star Shinji Ono grabed the headlines with sublime goals throughout the season, it is the Dutchman Hersi who pulls the strings from midfield.

Without him, Western Sydney may have to draft youngster Yianni Perkatis into right midfield for what would be just his third game in the A-League.

The foot injury that sidelined defender Adam D'Apuzzo is also a black mark after the club spent the season's early games gelling a cohesive and effective backline.

Nevertheless, sheer momentum may be enough to see the Wanderers over the line, with a presumably fit Bridge, Ono and Labinot Haliti all capable of making a difference.

The boys from Gosford should have all their important cogs clicking into gear, with the pace of Bernie Ibini and Michael McGlinchey roving either side of golden boot winner Daniel McBreen.

Following Nick Montgomery's suspension, Oliver Bozanic should partner captain John Hutchinson in the middle of the park.

Central Coast also has more grand final experience among its players than its opponents, leading the Wanderers with eleven players to seven.

The catch in the statistics, however, is only one of the Mariners' 11 players to feature in career grand finals has won one - Nick Fitzgerald, a substitute in Brisbane Roar's 2012 win over Perth Glory.

Until they finally win the big one, the Mariners will have to battle against the chokers' tag in finals football. Coach Graham Arnold insists they have the experience to handle the big night.

"We are fresh and motivated and, as long as we execute our game plan, we will be fine," Arnold said on Thursday.

"There is pressure on both teams, but I'm sure we can handle it."

While their 1-0 loss to the Wanderers late on in the regular season ultimately saw the A-League new boys pip Central Coast to the minor premiership, the Mariners will be banking on their fitness amid a busier fixture list to see them home.

The Mariners have had to juggle Asian Champions League commitments amid an increasingly frantic A-League schedule, and have still come out on top with regards to injuries and results.

For this reason, Central Coast may well be marginal favourites in the cold light of day, with each of their key components fit, ready and willing.

While many in the camp may feel letting the Premier's Plate slip was an avoidable mistake, perhaps the football gods may finally smile on the Mariners as they look to correct that error and their painful history in knock-out football.